Six-story wheelchair stunt defines the mood for Rio’s Paralympic Games

6 months, 10 days ago

Don’t try this at home, kids .

Image: Getty Images

Aaron Wheelz Fotheringham just opened the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in badass style with a death-defying, fireworks-accompanied stunt.

The 24 -year-old from Las Vegas, adapts his moves from a hybrid of skateboarding and BMX racing, kicked off the 2016 Game with a amaze demonstration of his WCMX wheelchair abilities. He pulled the stunt after the president of the International Paralympic Committee, Sir Phillip Craven, dedicated the official countdown to kick of the Games.

Appearing in a bright green chair at the top of a six-story high construction, Fotheringham went flying down the giant ramp, with fireworks running off on either side of him, only to launch into a somersault through a large ring. It. Was. Epic.

Go Wheelz.

Image: Getty Images

The stadium filled with cheers as the three-hour procession of paralympians, dancing and up-tempo music kicked off.

In an a interview with People Magazine earlier this year, the star of Nitro Circus, a touring extreme sports collective, explained his motivation.

“A lot of people view the wheelchair as being negative, or various kinds of like a prison, like you always hear people say, confined to a wheelchair, ‘” Fotheringham, who has Spina Bifida, said. “And for me, I never felt confined to the wheelchair it always was a great opportunity so if I could say anything to anyone living on a wheelchair, it’s all about having a positive stance and merely kind of looking for the bright side of things.”